Author's Note:
And chapter 6 has arrived! Wow, this is like 10 months of content within a week. Ha...ha...ha...bad joke. Anyway, hope you enjoy.
Chapter 6: Welcome Back! Ash vs Agatha
Ash had only been in Alola for a couple of weeks, but he couldn't help but feel like he was leaving something important behind. Obviously his new friends would be missed, but he knew he could still call and talk to them throughout the semester. But, as he looked over towards the forest, while Hala, Kukui and his friends led him towards the airport, he remembered that strange Pokemon he'd seen. He felt connected to it somehow.
Kokokoko!
Ash blinked, stopping in the middle of the sidewalk they were now on. He stared at the forest a moment longer, unsure if he'd imagined the sound or had actually heard it. He could sense Pikachu tensing up as well, though, sure that he must have sensed something, too. The two exchanged a quick look, before they glanced ahead to where Sophocles had paused, turning around to make sure they weren't separated.
"Come on, Ash!" he called out. "Don't want to miss your flight, right?"
"Yeah, sorry!" Ash answered, jogging ahead to catch up.
As he and Sophocoles caught up to the rest of the group, he noticed Rockruff walking alongside Kukui, the Puppy Pokemon glancing back, eyes filled with sadness. Ash knew that Rockruff was going to miss him, and of course that he would miss Rockruff. The feisty rock type was his biggest fan in his training sessions with Hala, and they'd had a lot of fun together with the other students as well during off time from classes. Ash just hoped he'd have a chance to get out some of that battle energy he'd developed.
They stopped in front of the entrance to the airport, everyone looking at Ash as they moved off to the side to stay out of the way of other travellers. Hala was the first to speak after a moment of awkward silence.
"Well, Ash, you weren't here long, but it's pretty clear you've already had quite an impact on us all. You'll be missed." He fingered his Z-Ring, considering his next words. "I know you may feel our training sessions didn't lead to as much as you would've hoped."
Ash looked down in embarrassment. He'd been a bit frustrated in their last couple of sessions, although he thought nobody but Pikachu and Greninja had noticed. It hadn't been easy, knowing they'd intended to return to Kalos, but that they hadn't been able to figure out much else about Greninja's transformation. And their Water Shuriken had continued to fizzle out whenever they'd tried to power it up.
"Don't worry, Ash," Hala said firmly, bringing Ash's eyes back to his. "We've learned more than you think. There's much for Professor Kukui, Professor Samson and I to discuss, and we'll keep in touch with Professor Sycamore as well. I think you'll find you made a lot more progress than you thought. You and Greninja were more in sync each and every battle, I'm sure of it. And it helps you in your battles with your other Pokemon as well. Your Riolu wouldn't be advancing as quickly as he is if not for finding out more about yourself with Greninja."
Ash hadn't considered that, but he had thought Riolu was picking things up faster than he might've assumed at first. It was almost like Tierno and his battling style. The more Ash moved in sync with Greninja, the more he could move in sync with the others, even if they didn't have a special form. He was finding his rhythm more and more.
"It's a long journey to figure these things out, cousin," Kukui said with a laugh, kneeling down and giving Rockruff a comforting pat as he noticed it looking upset. "As long as you've got some great Pokemon by your side, though, you'll be fine. My money's on Lumiose taking that IPL title with you, Greninja and Pikachu leading the way."
Ash grinned at those words, feeling they were just the motivation he needed to get back to Lumiose with a renewed energy. "We've got some tough opponents in our way, but we'll beat them all, right Pikachu?" he asked, looking up to his partner.
"Pika!" Pikachu agreed, pumping his little fist.
"I'd love to see you battle that trainer with the Mega Scizor!" Kiawe said, somewhat dramatically, looking up as though imagining the scene in front of him. "That sounds like it would be quite the fight."
"I'd love to visit, too!" Lillie said excitedly, her Vulpix crying out in agreement. "I wonder if my mother..." she trailed off, looking embarrassed by whatever she was going to say.
Nobody seemed to notice, Mallow and Lana simply nodding in agreement about wanting to go as well. "Or maybe Ash can come and visit us again!" Sophocles suggested, looking hopefully to Ash.
Ash just smiled, a little unsure of what to say. He definitely still wanted to see more of Alola, and the Trials he'd heard about sounded very intriguing. There's so much more to do in the world. There's so much more to see and explore.
"Well, we can't pester Ash too much about what's to come," Hala finally said, as he looked over towards the airport entrance. "I expect you'll need to board fairly soon."
Ash nodded, sighing as he looked to his new group of friends again. He was excited to see his friends back in Kalos, but he did hope he could see his Alolan friends again someday soon. "Good luck with the rest of your semester, guys. And keep training hard!"
He was surrounded suddenly, his friends making sure to hug and high five him, along with Pikachu. They promised to support him in whatever way they could for his future IPL matches, and to do what they could in finding more about Greninja. He then shook hands with both Hala and Kukui, before kneeling down to say goodbye to Rockruff.
"Well, Rockruff, you've been a great friend since we've been here. I'm gonna miss you." Pikachu murmured his agreement, while Rockruff looked up, glancing at a smiling Kukui, before narrowing his eyes in what appeared to be a determined look.
"Ruff!" he barked out, standing up on two legs briefly to lick Ash's face.
Ash laughed, petting the Puppy Pokemon one last time before standing up, and turning around. As he walked towards the doors to enter the airport, he took one last look back, waving to his friends as he did so. Then, he entered, hearing a soft bark that he imagined was right behind him, as he left his Alolan friends to return to Kalos.
Serena could feel her eyelids getting heavy as the class went on, the exhaustion of the week's classes and training finally taking their toll on her. It wasn't that she wasn't interested, the teacher, a Pokemon reporter named Alexa, giving a very interesting lesson for her new history class. Serena simply had a lot more on her mind, and had been working hard since the semester started up again.
The sound of deep breathing next to her alerted her to another student having fallen asleep, and Serena just wished she would be able to stop herself from doing the same. Fortunately, Shauna was at her other side, taking notes by writing fairly loudly, as though forcing herself to stay awake that way. It was more than Serena could manage at the moment, though.
She focused as hard as she could for the final few minutes of the class, however, and then Alexa began to wind down the lesson. "And so," she said, pointing to a picture she had projected onto a screen, of a statue of a young man, "Jan attempted to defeat Yveltal. Unfortunately, it ended with his defeat." She looked at the clock in the room and clicked the projector off. "We'll continue this story next week. Have a good weekend!"
As the class wrapped up, Serena and Shauna quickly gathered up their things, both with renewed energy. The first training session for their next IPL match was today, so they wanted to get there as fast as they could, even if Fantina would be showing up a bit later, and the start of the session would be with the battling team.
Luckily for them, they were sitting near the door, so they didn't get stuck behind the crowd of students heading for the exit. They were the first out the building, and heading to the training facilities fairly quickly. It wasn't too far of a walk for them, but as more students emerged from some of the other buildings, things got a little more crowded.
Eventually, however, the two performers managed to get out of the thickest parts of the crowds, and were on their way soon enough. Before too long, they saw the training facilities up ahead, and picked up their pace to get there. They noticed Dawn and Marie approaching as well as they got closer, the latter with her Chikorita out.
"Planning on joining the IPL training today, Marie?" Shauna asked, smiling as she greeted the small grass type.
"If Flint and Agatha don't mind. Since Ash isn't back yet, we need an extra anyway, right?" Serena nodded, thinking it wouldn't be an issue even if Ash was there. Marie was pretty much on the team anyway. Perhaps she would challenge for a spot next year.
"Speaking of Ash, have you guys seen Professor Sycamore?" Dawn asked, eyes shining with excitement.
Serena shook her head, tilting her head curiously. "No, is something wrong in Alola?"
Dawn laughed, turning as she began to lead the way inside the training facilities. "No! Ash is coming back! He left Alola this morning!"
Serena felt her heart suddenly racing with excitement, and couldn't control the huge smile that came to her face. "Really?!" was all she could say in response.
Shauna giggled, giving Serena a playful nudge. "Try to play it cool, Serena."
That didn't seem to be easy for any of them, and as they entered the battlefield room, they could see Clemont, Trevor and Tierno excitedly talking in a group. It seemed they had heard as well. Clemont was the first to notice the girls.
"Did you guys hear the news?" he asked, turning to them when they approached.
"Yeah, things will finally be back to normal around here," Dawn said, looking excitedly around at the team. "Just in time for our next IPL match, too."
"I hope Ash managed to get some help with his Greninja," Serena said, remembering how excited he'd been to see what else he could find out. "They must've been working really hard."
"Ash should be fine no matter what," Clemont pointed out confidently. "Whatever he worked on, he'll be able to make use of it. I bet he'll just be excited to get back to training for the IPL and winning our next match."
As if on cue, the doors opened once more, revealing Agatha and Flint entering the area. The two coaches noticed the group right away, heading over when they saw them. They seemed to be pretty excited to get started as well. Serena supposed that just like Ash, if they weren't as enthusiastic as they were about Pokemon battles, they wouldn't be where they were now.
Once the greetings were finished, Flint spoke up first about what they'd be working on. He didn't have specific instructions for the performing team, as Fantina would give those when she's arrived, but invited them to be part of some of the battle exercises. "Considering we're up against the Shalour team in our next match, I think we need to be ready for Korrina and her Lucario most of all." He looked at Clemont, smiling confidently. "I suppose you'll be taking on Korrina again, Clemont?"
Clemont blushed, and Serena couldn't help but giggle a little, along with Shauna. "Um...yeah, I guess so," he answered. "I'll be ready," he added after a moment, taking a deep breath and looking a little more confident.
"And Trevor, I guess you'll take on your opponent from our last match with them?" Flint asked, looking to the boy holding up his camera, looking through his pictures of some of the previous training sessions.
Trevor nodded, though, looking up right away. "Yeah, as long as Ash is fine with his opponent."
"I guess we'll find out when he gets-"
"I'm fine with it!"
The group went completely silent for a moment, and then, all at once, they turned around, eyes widening and huge smiles coming to their faces. "Ash!"
He was swarmed immediately, the entire team rushing to him in excitement. There were hugs and high fives for Ash, and pets for Pikachu. When Serena hugged Ash, she didn't even think of their last meeting, when she'd kissed him on the cheek at the airport, or of their dance in Coumarine City. She was just glad to have him back, being one of her closest friends.
When she stepped back, she thought she noticed a brown shape scurrying away behind him, but just assumed it was another trainer's Pokemon running around. "So how was Alola?" when she looked back at him. "Did you learn more about Greninja?"
Ash sighed, looking unsure of how to answer that. "I guess...maybe. Not as much as I would've liked to. We got to do some intense training against Hala's Crabominable, though, and I got to face off against some Z-Moves!" He then pulled out a pokeball and opened it up, Riolu emerging with a cheer and immediately jumping up into Serena's arms. "And Riolu beat a Pokemon that was using a Z-Move! And he also learned Metal Claw!"
"Wow, that's great Riolu!" Serena exclaimed, the others all adding their congratulations as well. The young fighting type seemed pleased. "I can tell that you look even stronger since the last time we saw each other."
"Ruru!" Riolu cheered happily, hugging her, before sitting on her shoulder.
"Catch any Pokemon while you were there, Ash?" Flint asked, looking curiously in the direction of the brown shape Serena had seen.
"Uh..." Ash looked a little embarrassed for some reason, glancing at Serena. "I've still got my old Pokemon."
Serena gave him a questioning look, but he just shrugged. She got the sense he wanted to wait to talk about whatever it was he was hiding, and she let it go. Then, Agatha stepped forward, peering at Ash, and then Pikachu.
"Well, Ash, I am curious to see what this trip did for you if you didn't come away with a clear answer for your Greninja, or a new Pokemon." Serena and the others watched in shock as the Kanto Elite Four member then pulled out a pokeball and held it up challengingly. "How about we begin our training session with a little warmup battle?"
Serena would've laughed if she hadn't been so surprised. There was probably no better way to welcome back Ash than to give him a battle. A battle with Agatha of all people was all the sweeter for him. She was almost surprised he didn't teleport onto the battlefield, although he came as close as possible to doing just that, while his friends laughed.
"Watch closely, kids," Agatha said to the others, "this will still be useful for you I expect." She nodded to Flint. "You may learn something as well, young man."
Flint laughed, although he looked a little nervous as the older Elite Four member stepped up onto the battlefield. He took the referee's position, while the others gathered together on the sidelines. They weren't the only ones, either, as a few other students noticed Agatha preparing to battle, and were rightfully interested in watching.
"We'll make this a good old fashioned one on one battle, all right, Ash?" Agatha called out to him.
Ash nodded, narrowing his eyes as he readied himself for the challenge. He then looked up to Pikachu, who looked equally as focused, and the electric type launched himself from Ash's shoulder, sliding along the ground in front of him, before stopping, ready to face whoever Agatha sent out against him.
"I'm in the mood for a rematch, how about you, Pikachu?" Agatha said, smirking as she tossed out her pokeball, a large, purple ghostly Pokemon emerging. It looked menacing, its grin giving Serena chills. That's a tough looking Gengar, she thought, looking nervously at Ash and Pikachu. To her surprise, they looked even more excited than before.
"You may have beaten us back in Kanto a few years ago, but this time is gonna be different!" Ash vowed, holding a fist up in challenge, Pikachu mimicking the gesture in front of him.
"Well let's see what you've got!" Agatha challenged.
Their words had the gathered crowd murmuring excitedly. As big a challenge as an Elite Four member was, there was no doubt that people believed Ash up to the task. Serena and her friends joined the rest in looking on with excitement. As soon as Flint made the call to begin the battle, everyone went silent, not wanting to miss a moment.
"Electro-Ball!"
"Shadow Ball!"
The two spherical attacks, one of sparking electrical energy, and the other of dark shadowy energy, collided hard at the centre of the battlefield. Serena felt the area around them shake with the force of the attacks, and winced as smoke billowed out from in front of them. As it cleared, though, neither Pokemon seemed affected, both tensed and ready to see what would come next.
"Excellent!" Agatha said with a smirk. "Lots of power in that Electro-Ball. Let's see about Pikachu's speed. Gengar, use Double Team!"
"Gengar!" Gengar called out ominously, suddenly multiplying and surrounding Pikachu. Within a few seconds, the electric type had a circle around him with the menacing grin of the Shadow Pokemon staring at him in all directions.
"You'd better hurry, Ash," Agatha warned, narrowing her eyes. "Gengar, use Shadow Ball!"
Serena looked at Ash nervously, wondering if he had a counter. For some reason, though, he seemed to be waiting.
"Garrr!" Gengar then cried out, dark orbs of black energy appearing all around Pikachu. He was trapped, now.
"Ru..." Serena heard Riolu whimper, the Emanation Pokemon sounding nervous for his trainer.
"Iron Tail!" Ash then shouted, Pikachu's tail glowing white almost immediately. "Back to back!"
Serena's eyes widened, shocked to see the surprise on Agatha's face after Ash's order. And it wasn't surprise that Ash had called a poor attack. Unfortunately for her, though, Gengar had already unleashed his attack.
As the dark orbs converged on Pikachu, the Mouse Pokemon struck the ground hard with Iron Tail, propelling himself up into the air just as the attacks met in the centre. However, he wasn't done there, moving in one smooth movement to strike hard across one Shadow Ball beneath him, just as the others moved further away and vanished. He launched it back in the direction it came at twice the speed.
"Garrr!" Gengar was hit hard by his own attack, the shadow exploding against him and surrounding him in black and purple smoke.
"Now, Quick Attack!" Ash ordered, pumping his fist in excitement.
"Quick Attack?" Clemont whispered in confusion. "But..."
Serena had a feeling Ash had a plan for the ineffective move, however, watching Pikachu dart towards Gengar, too fast for either the Shadow Pokemon or its trainer to react. Then, Pikachu was propelling himself into Gengar, passing through with his Quick Attack, just as any normal type attack would do against a ghost type.
"Iron Tail!"
"Chuuu PIKA!" Pikachu seemed to know the order was coming, spinning while he passed through the ghost type and then slamming his tail hard against its back, sending it flying across the battlefield, crying out in surprise and pain. The crowd gasped in surprise, stunned by the control Ash was taking in the battle.
"You'd better watch out, Agatha," Flint said to her, chuckling. "Ash might take your spot at the Indigo Plateau."
Agatha chuckled at that, although her eyes were narrowed in focus. Serena knew this was far from over, and it seemed Ash did as well. "Thunderbolt, Pikachu!" he shouted, looking like he wanted to stay on the offensive, almost as though he was avoiding something.
"Double Team, one more time!" Agatha countered quickly, looking a little relieved as the electrical energy narrowly missed Gengar as he multiplied just in time. A few copies disappeared as the Thunderbolt spread out, but it appeared as though Gengar had remained safe.
Ash then paused a moment, watching both Agatha and the remaining Gengar copies, as though he was hoping they'd make the next move this time. They didn't seem to be, however, so he called his next order. "Quick Attack!"
"Pika!" Pikachu responded, darting away quickly, heading towards the first group of Gengar copies in front of him. He struck them quickly, passing through them, but making them disappear, narrowing down the rest to a small group near the centre of the battlefield.
"Thunderbolt!"
"Shadow Ball!"
"Chuuu!" Pikachu cried out, sending out the attack towards the Gengar copies. It struck, but just as one almost seemed to be flattening itself to the ground, sliding along before popping up behind Pikachu with a dark sphere in front of him.
"Gar!"
"Pika!"
Pikachu was hit hard, the Shadow Ball hitting him in the side as he turned around. He was sent flying across the battlefield, but he managed to right himself quickly, landing on his feet and turning around to make sure he was ready for the next attack.
"Why is Agatha only using two moves?" Clemont asked, although not really to anyone in particular. "It's almost like she's trying to wear Pikachu down for some kind of combo attack."
Serena was wondering the same thing. Even though Pikachu had landed a couple of good attacks, he was being forced to be particularly precise. That focus would be hard to keep up, even for him and Ash. If they slipped up once, whatever Agatha wanted to do could be it for the match.
"Shadow Ball again Gengar!" Agatha ordered, thrusting her arm forward, looking as though she was more into the match now.
"Get around it with Iron Tail!" Ash countered, punching the air in his excitement.
Both Pokemon acted quickly, the shadowy sphere firing towards Pikachu instantly. However, the Mouse Pokemon used his speed well, his tail glowing brightly before he flipped and used it to propel himself over the Shadow Ball. He approached Gengar quickly with the move and swung around again, striking the Shadow Pokemon with a mighty swing of his tail.
"Gengarrr!" Gengar cried out, staggering back as Pikachu was propelled back up into the air, smirking in satisfaction from his attack. Serena could see Agatha smiling, though, and found out why a moment later.
"He's open now, Gengar! Use Hypnosis!"
Ash seemed to tense up at that, but he was still ready apparently. "Pikachu send an Electro-Ball up! Quickly!"
As Pikachu descended to the ground he quickly fired up an orb of electricity, just as Gengar straightened and raised his arms, eyes flashing red. A shadowy aura seemed to surround Pikachu a moment later, and then his eyes became heavier. He stumbled, trying to blink away the tiredness that was taking over him.
"Now, use Dream Ea-"
Agatha stopped, shocked as Ash's plan came into effect. Pikachu's Electro-Ball descended towards him, and just as Pikachu looked like he was about to collapse from the Hypnosis, it struck him, sparks flying in all directions.
"Pika!" the electric mouse called out happily as the smoke cleared around him, eyes bright.
Agatha laughed as she looked at the scene in front of her. "You never cease to amaze me, Ash." She then locked eyes with her Gengar. "All right, Gengar, use Shadow Ball, and then Double Team!"
Ash grinned, and Serena got the sense that this battle was heating up. "Iron Tail, and then use Quick Attack!"
The Shadow Ball rushed towards Pikachu immediately, the electric mouse flinging himself over it with Iron Tail, before darting towards the copies of Gengar that were now emerging across the battlefield. He swept across, his Quick Attack making him hard to follow, eliminating the copies as fast as they could come up.
Agatha wasn't going to let him eliminate them all, however, ordering a Shadow Ball to slow him down, Pikachu and Ash needing to be cautious of the real one as they darted around in all directions. When one exploded to Pikachu's right, however, they seemed to identify their target, turning quickly to what must've been the real Gengar. Agatha was ready once again, though, using the combo once more and forcing Pikachu on the move.
When another explosion seemed to alert Pikachu and Ash to Gengar's location again, though, Ash was prepared, ordering a Quick Attack and an Iron Tail. Just like before, Pikachu darted towards the Shadow Pokemon at full speed, passing through, before swinging around with his glowing tail. Agatha, seemed to know it was coming, though.
"Hypnosis!"
Pikachu managed to land his attack, striking Gengar in the chest with a mighty Iron Tail. However, he couldn't escape the eye contact Gengar made right before, the Shadow Pokemon having turned to face him. Just like before, his eyes glowed red, just before a shadowy aura surrounded Pikachu. As Gengar staggered back from Pikachu's attack, the Mouse Pokemon hit the ground, blinking hard as though trying to avoid the sleep that pulled at him.
Unfortunately, he couldn't fight it, glancing one last time at Ash before his eyes closed and he fell forward.
"Finish with Dream Eater!"
As a black shadow surrounded Pikachu, Serena knew it was over, seeing Ash sigh in disappointment. Flint made the call a moment later.
"Pikachu is unable to battle. Agatha and Gengar are the winners."
The crowd applauded, and as Agatha and Ash went to their Pokemon, Serena and her friends joined in. Losing didn't seem to matter in the end with this battle. Ash had gone toe to toe with an Elite Four member and with another attack or two, he might've won it. Agatha seemed to know it, too, looking at her exhausted Gengar.
The crowd began to disperse in the next few minutes, and once Agatha and Ash had made sure their Pokemon were all right, they got down off the battlefield, gathering with the team. They both seemed happy, which Serena was glad to see. Of course, the whole team seemed happy, just having had the chance to see Ash battle again.
"Well, I think you've done well enough in Alola," Agatha said simply. "You should be ready for our next match."
Ash laughed at that, exchanging a smile with Pikachu. "I hope so. I can't wait to get started again."
At that moment, Fantina made her way to them, apparently having arrived during the battle. After a quick greeting and welcoming Ash back, she looked to Serena and the rest of the Performance Team. "Well, I suppose it's time zat we get started."
Flint nodded, looking to the Battle Team. "I agree. Let's take that battlefield over there," he said, pointing to the next battlefield over from the one they were at. He and Agatha led the way, while Trevor and Clemont followed. Fantina then stepped onto the battlefield they were at already, with Tierno, Shauna and Dawn going up with her. Serena was about to follow, but Ash called out to her, stepping away from the group.
Serena felt her heart flutter a bit, but managed to steady herself and follow him over to a quieter area. She looked curiously at Ash, wondering what he wanted to say. He seemed a little nervous himself, and she couldn't help but wonder if...
She shook her head, focusing on him as he finally spoke. "So...um...I missed you guys in Alola," Ash said awkwardly. "It's good to be back."
"It's good to have you back," Serena told him, smiling as Riolu cheered from her shoulder. "I missed you a lot, too. We all did."
Ash scratched his neck nervously, then his hand went to his waist, pulling out a pokeball. "I was with some friends I made at the school in Alola, and we came across something...I thought of you right away when we did."
Serena looked curiously at the pokeball, and then him. "What...what do you mean?"
Ash took a deep breath and then smiled more confidently. "Let's just say, I met someone who loves to perform as much as you. I thought you two would hit it off." He then held out the pokeball. "I told her all about you, and she's really excited to meet you."
Serena's eyes widened, her heart beating with excitement. She slowly reached out, taking the pokeball from Ash, and then held it up in front of herself, staring at it. She felt it wiggle a little in her hand, and couldn't help but smile. "Ash...I..." She didn't know what to say, so she just looked back at the pokeball, before finally clicking it open.
"Pop popplio!" said the blue sea lion Pokemon that emerged, clapping its flippers together, before blowing three bubbles into the air and juggling them briefly. It then popped each of them, before bowing in the show of watery sparkles.
Serena instantly cheered, Riolu joining along with her. "Oh wow! That was so good!" she exclaimed, looking at Ash excitedly.
He laughed, looking at the Pokemon, who appeared to be very pleased by the reception. "There's more where that came from. Trust me. Popplio's a real performer."
Serena knelt down in front of Popplio, looking the Sea Lion Pokemon in the eye. "Is that true, Popplio?" When it nodded, she smiled even wider. "And would you like to perform with me?"
"Popplio!" she cried out, flapping her flippers together and hopping forward, hugging Serena.
Serena hugged her new Pokemon back, amazed at the instant connection she felt to it. How could Ash have known how perfect this would be? She looked at him, barely able to speak. "Ash...I don't...how can I thank you?"
"Just be Popplio's best friend, and let her perform with you."
Serena knew that would never be a problem.
Author's Note:
Ash has returned, and Serena has her Popplio. Can life get any better for these Lumiose students? Hopefully the whole Pokemon as a gift thing worked out. But you know...Ash had the right feeling about these two. They were a perfect match. Just like...you know.
So, thanks for reading. Hope you enjoyed. And, I'll have chapter 7 out next week. Might do the Wednesday/Friday thing regularly, but I'm not sure yet. We'll see. See you next time.